The Darker Days
by Paper Bullet
Summary: Attending a militarist boarding school to protect the world against giants, monsters, and demons, Rukia, Grimmjow, and Ichigo become close friends throughout their ordeals at Sparrow Cut. But it seems there may even be a greater enemy at hand: mankind. The three must protect each other from abusive teachers, crazed classmates, and sickly school practices.
1. Abysmal

**THE DARKER DAYS**

_chapter one _— **abysmal**

The days were indeed dark in the decade of hurt, anguish, and tension among countries. It had been a century since the fifth World War, and already a sixth was on the rise. Not only was political turmoil thick with inevitability, but humans discovered new and inhuman enemies in their midst a couple of decades ago. Blood-suckers, ogres, wolfmen, wizards, and other unnamed creatures took over and roamed some of the smaller, less exorbitant areas of the world. While they generally stuck to places not inhabited by humans, every now and again, they ventured beyond their allotted boundaries.

And the world couldn't help but feel like every single inhuman was plotting against them.

It was for this reason alone that a universal military boarding school was produced by the World Council, a council made up of leaders from countries who considered themselves "protectors of the world." This boarding school was divided into three buildings, and each was reserved for a specific grade level. The schools were named Sparrow Cut with their respective subtitle at the end: primary school, high school, and college.

These schools were harsh and unforgiving. Children were stripped from their families and forced to embrace their new one. It was lonely for some, but for others, it was all they knew.

While the elementary school classes were divided strictly by age, the high school worked more like a college and was separated by skill alone. This allowed the more proficient younger teenagers to take advanced classes and older, slower ones to remain at a basic level until they learned the necessary skills to graduate. Anyone who couldn't graduate within two tries was sent to Maeryn, "Land of the Devils" as many people called it. Maeryn was a small country heavily overtaken by monsters and creatures of the night, and while there were humans strong enough to live there, most perished within a day.

* * *

Rukia Kuchiki stood beside her classmates on the front lawn of the high school, staring at the much smaller group of people in front of the flagpole. The Captain who lead their morning class clapped a hand on a young, red-haired male's shoulder. Rukia knew his name to be Renji.

"It seems as though Mr. Abarai fell asleep during his fifth period yesterday." The Captain's face was far from pleasant. "So we're going to see if that was just a one-time thing or if Mr. Abarai just can't handle being awake that long." The brown-faced man held up Renji's wrist which was cuffed to the flagpole. "Renji is to stand here next to the flag for three days." The Captain's eyes turned to Renji, who bore a sour expression under his attempt to be emotionless. "If you can make it that long, you may rejoin your classmates as normal. If you can't, you'll be expelled." A small, everlasting grin appeared on the Captain's lips. "Tell me, do you think you could take down a family of Giants, Mr. Abarai?"

"No, sir." He restrained his abhorrence.

The Captain smiled slightly. "Alright, class. Everyone, except Mr. Abarai, can follow me to the obstacle course."

Rukia's eyes slid empathetically to Renji once before she followed the group of classmates around the back of the school and to one of the many courses. It was decorated with militarist items such as ropes, tall boards without steps, monkey bars, barbed wire nettings over crawl spaces, and large scoops of sandless pits.

"It's only the second week of school, so I'm assuming you worthless twats haven't made any friends yet. Oh well. Partner up!"

Rukia blinked. He was right; she had yet to befriend anyone because, in all honesty, making friends didn't rank high on her list of priorities. She could tell by the looks of most students that it was true for them as well. Everyone jumped in partnership with the nearest person, and Rukia found herself left stranded with an orange-haired boy she knew by the name of Ichigo.

"Well, guess that means we're partners then. The name's Ichigo." He shoved his hands deeply into his pockets and stared down at Rukia.

"Rukia."

No smiles.

"Everyone partnered up? Good. We're going to do a trial run of the obstacle course. It is your job to push your partner forward. If they are struggling, encourage them. If they are succeeding, push them further. There is no absolute best. You can always do better. If I see anyone so much as stop moving to take a breath, you'll be spending the next three days with Mr. Abarai on that flagpole." The Captain held his hands behind his back. "Get in line. Count to thirty after the person in front of you has went, and then start your timer."

Rukia frowned. She didn't possess much in terms of physical strength. Her advancement through the grade levels resided primarily in her intellect and maneuverability. She wasn't meant to be an infantry grunt, but that didn't really matter today. "Here," she spoke as she handed Ichigo the timer and got in line. "I'll go first."

"Alright." As they stood, Ichigo noticed a blue-haired, slightly taller male in front of them. He knew him by the name of Grimmjow. Grimmjow was a year older, but they had been in the same grade level for years, and they usually partnered together. Today, however, he was paired with a brooding dark-haired man. Grimmjow didn't look particularly pleased to be with him, and he wondered how he had gotten stuck with the depressive sickly-looking kid.

Rukia stood silently next to Ichigo, her eyes staring into Grimmjow's back with an absent mind. She wasn't going to wind up in Maeryn, eaten by wolves. She knew it was a good fear to have, too.

Because more than twice a year, a boat left the island with failure students on it.

As she watched Grimmjow run along side his partner on the obstacle course, she counted in her head and got ready. She tucked the black lock of hair that often hung in front of her face behind her ear before digging her fingernails into her palms. She could hear her heart beating, the blood rushing in her ears. It was deafening. She felt hollow with fear, but no one could tell. Her face was stoic and fearless, just like most of the other's.

When she hit thirty, Rukia was off. Ichigo ran right beside her, holding the stop watch tightly. His face was devoid of emotion as well, and he watched her closely. She hopped over a small wall with surprising grace and then approached a wall four times her size with a rope attached. She gripped the rope and began climbing up. She fumbled and slipped for a second but made it up relatively quick. Once over it, Rukia dropped to her hands and crawled under the wire netting. She used her knees and elbows to push her forward. A piece of barb caught her hand, and she stopped, seething.

"C'mon, Rukia! Move it!" Ichigo saw the Captain looking in their direction. "Rukia, now!"

Rukia cursed in her head and pushed forward, emerging from the crawlspace after a minute or two. The group behind ended up passing Rukia, but it wasn't anything to be ashamed of. Just by looking at the dude, Ichigo knew even he couldn't compare. He was nothing but muscle and adrenaline. But he could see it deflated Rukia a little. Ichigo continued to push her, and by the time she got through the rest of the obstacle course, her time ended up being fourteen minutes and some change.

* * *

Ichigo stood in line with his tray of food, waiting to get a bowl of fruits. Once he grabbed it, he emerged into the main room and glanced around. His eyes landed on a lone girl with black hair, and he headed toward her. Setting his tray down, he sat next to her. "Hey, good job today."

Rukia glanced over to him and bit into her apple. "Shutup, Mr. Six minutes, twelve seconds." She was bitter.

Grimmjow plopped down beside Ichigo and grumbled. "New girlfriend? Ain't she kinda flat-chested?"

"Shuddap," Ichigo replied casually and began eating.

"Excuse me?!" Rukia glared past Ichigo and over to Grimmjow.

"Are you fuckin' deaf or something? I said you had no tits. You're flat. You got mosquito bites on you. Nugget boo_—_."

"Why don't you say that to my face?" Rukia stood up, and Grimmjow stood up, too. Ichigo sat in between them, groaning in contempt. Rukia grit her teeth and held Grimmjow's stare evenly. He only looked bored and unamused, however.

"Can we just finish eating?" Ichigo glanced between the two of them. Unbeknownst to the trio, everyone else's attention was on the corner of the cafeteria where armed men surrounded a teenage boy. The three finally noticed and glanced toward the commotion.

"I swear, I didn't take it!" the boy screamed. His cries fell on deaf ears, however, as the men apprehended him and drug him away. He struggled and yelled until the cafeteria doors closed off the sight and sound of him from the others. Everyone remained silent for a moment, the notion of yet another student being expelled heavy on their minds. But like that, everyone recovered and the cafeteria returned to a bustling room.

"So what was your time, Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked before gulping his juice down.

"Five-oh-two," the blue-haired man replied casually. Rukia blanched slightly, but she didn't allow for anyone to notice. Before anything could be said, the bell rang and everyone got up, dumping their trays.

* * *

Rukia's next class happened to be the one she was most excited for: Hand-to-Hand Defenses. It was the perfect class for people who weren't necessarily big or strong, though everyone had to take it. It was only the second week into school, but already she had learned to get out of surprise attacks from the rear with ease.

As she arrived to class, she took her seat which so happened to be next to Grimmjow. Honestly, she had never spoken to him until today. Sitting next to him in the same class for two weeks, she had only glanced his way once. And now, she couldn't stop glaring. He was already on her bad side. When he caught her staring, he raised an eyebrow. "You got a problem, girl?"

"It's Rukia." Her eyes became dull with apathy.

"Cool story." He folded his arms and waited for the teacher to start. Luckily enough, the teacher wasn't some uptight Commander. He was a laid back armyman with newly attained officer status. Though he didn't allow for nonsense, he wasn't a dick. Grimmjow could handle it.

"We've got a decent split in male-female ratio here. Today, I want to focus on smaller versus bigger. Females should partner up with a male. If there aren't enough females, then smaller males pair up with larger males. Sorry ladies, no girl talk today." His chopped red hair made him look younger than he really was. He smiled playfully at the class before him and watched as everyone moved about the room.

Rukia generally partnered up with either Soifon or Momo, but she knew that was out of the question. Her eyes averted to Grimmjow, and the two silently agreed. It would be fun flipping the brute onto his back and teaching him a lesson, anyway. Standing next to him, the difference in size was massive. Grimmjow was tall, over six foot, and well-built in muscle mass. Rukia was barely five feet and weighed around a hundred pounds, if that. But she didn't let it faze her.

"Alright, larger persons _—_ you will be standing behind the smaller person and twisting their arm behind their back. Be careful not to snap it; just make sure there's no escape." The teacher leaned back against the chalk board, staring at the rows of students as they got into position. His eyes traveled to Grimmjow and Rukia.

The black-headed girl's eyes narrowed threateningly as she turned her back to the large male. He grabbed her wrist roughly and yanked it behind her, and though she couldn't see it, she knew a smirk was playing on his lips. She only had to wait until the teacher told her how to inflict some pain on the attacker. She bit her lip to fight through the pain.

"Too much for ya, girlie?" Grimmjow jeered.

"Alright! Smallers, drop down to the knee on the side your arm is twisted, and kick back and into the groin with your other leg, twisting only slightly. DO NOT BREAK YOUR ARM!" It happened all too often, really.

Rukia smirked. She took no vacillation in dropping down and kicking her other leg back and into Grimmjow's unprotected family jewels. He instantly let go of her and dropped to his knees beside her, cupping himself. "Dirty bitch!" The rage in his eyes was evident, but he knew if he attacked her, he would be reprimanded. "Just wait until I catch you outside class hours. Just you fuckin' wait." His eyes dulled, and a clear warning crossed his gaze.

Rukia stood up. "Oh, I'll be waiting."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you for giving this first chapter a chance! I am completely open to suggestions and will be responding to all reviews. If you have questions, hesitations, comments, advice, etc. please tell me. For those who know me for my GrimmRuki stories, I must warn you that this will have a fairly even amount of Grimmjow/Rukia and Ichigo/Rukia facetime. I'm not sure if there will be a definite pairing by the end. I'll see where you guys are at and where this story heads. Thank you once again! _—_PB


	2. Dirty Smiles

**THE DARKER DAYS**

_chapter two _— **dirty smiles  
**

Relationships were hard to establish at Sparrow Cut, but they were easy to maintain. Most students were cold and closed off, but once they found friends, they stuck by them like family. It was why cliques were more extreme than normal school environments. People died for messing with the wrong family.

Slowly, over the course of a few weeks, a new family was formed that consisted of the ever-prominent scowler, the violent one, and the reserved intellectual. Ichigo, Grimmjow, and Rukia all had their strengths and weaknesses, and their relationship was surprisingly balanced. None of them were vocal about their friendship, but they weren't so immature that they denied its existence.

Still, their friendship was lingering in the formation stage. None of them were close enough to one another to actually open up or talk to them about sincere items. No, it was more of a parasitic relationship at best. You watch my back, and I watch yours.

This was especially true the day Rukia ran into trouble.

* * *

"Sit down, sit down. My name is Mr. Jiruga. I'm subbing in today for your teacher. Since he didn't leave me any lesson plans, I'm going to pair you up and you are going to show me what you've learned." The man had slick black hair which was tied back under his military cap. His white uniform was starched and pressed.

Thankfully, students' uniforms weren't as militaristic. They were trainees, and so they wore black pants and black t-shirts. No students received medals for exemplary conduct or performance. Everyone was the same, and the military wanted to enforce this much. On Rukia, the outfit only made her look even tinier than she really was. The clothing wasn't necessarily baggy, but it was loose enough to hide what curves she actually did possess. On Grimmjow, the effect was reversed. The tight black sleeves stretched across his biceps, and his broad back and chest were even more outstanding. Ichigo was in the middle, looking lean and athletic but not as muscle-toned as Grimmjow.

As the students sat at their desks, waiting for the Hand-to-Hand Defense displays to actually begin, Nnoitra Jiruga began pairing up certain people. When he pointed to Rukia, he also pointed to Ulquiorra Schiffer, a student renowned throughout the school for his number one spot in both grades and battle efficiency. Out of all the cold students in Sparrow Cut, he was by far the coldest.

Grimmjow instantly squinted, but he said nothing. He wasn't the type to seem worried or show signs of care for someone. And he wasn't even sure if he really cared about Rukia. Honestly, she was just a form of entertainment and she helped him study for his tests sometimes. They had yet to reach a point where they legitimately cared for each other, having only befriended one another a few weeks ago. And in a school like this, there wasn't much room for legitimate socialization.

Rukia stood up and met Ulquiorra by his desk, not viewing this as a predicament but rather a challenge. If she could outmaneuver someone like Ulquiorra, no one would ever dare come after her. And as a female in a school like this, there were many predators. It was a quintessential and socially acceptable behavior in the eyes of the staff who often turned a blind eye toward it.

"Introduce yourselves to your partner and decide who will be the attacker first. I will go around the room and watch each pair. If you disappoint me, you get a failing grade for the day." Jiruga's words rang heavily in the minds of everyone present. This guy was more strict and uptight — more sadistic in appearance, even — than their normal teacher.

"You can be the attacker first," Ulquiorra stated bleakly. "I doubt you'd be able to do so after being the defender."

Ouch. Insult noted. Rukia narrowed her eyes infinitesimally and got behind him, waiting patiently while Nnoitra Jiruga wound his way through the students, stopping at each pair. When he stopped at Rukia and Ulquiorra, he shook his head. "Switch. The girl defends first."

"Wh_—!_" Rukia began to yell at him but caught Grimmjow's glare from all the way across the room. She subtly turned her eyes back to the substitute teacher and nodded. "Yes, sir." She didn't mention sourly how Soifon had been allowed to attack Grimmjow first, much to her displeasure. She got in front of Ulquiorra, and when Nnoitra nodded, Ulquiorra wrapped his arms around the front of Rukia, pinning her arms to her side. Her back was pressed against his front, and she reminded herself to not resort to squirming.

His grip wasn't so restrictively tight that it cut off her breathing, but it was firm enough to render her arms useless. Rukia pushed forward with her legs and bent down as she did so, attempting to flip Ulquiorra over her. Instead of what was intended, Rukia wound up with her face to the floor and Ulquiorra quickly grabbing her arm and pinning it behind her back. He sat on her lower back and stared down dully. Damn, she couldn't fit in any groin kicks this time with her being pressed to the floor.

And then Rukia did something incredibly stupid that put her obstinate nature on the forefront of her entire being.

Twisting herself, she dislocated her shoulder purposefully and turned under Ulquiorra. She followed up with a hook from her free hand to his face, though it was caught by his other hand with ease.

"Enough." Nnoitra said nothing else on the matter and went to the next group.

Ulquiorra let Rukia go and stood, staring down at her with blatant disregard for her current state. She stood as well and gripped her dangling arm. Knowing she would have to assume the role of the attacker now, she had to face a grave consequence. Her eyes shifted around the room, and when they landed on Grimmjow, she saw him attacking Soifon. Damn it.

"Turn to your side."

"What?"

"Turn to your side." Ulquiorra stared.

Rukia glared at him hesitantly before turning. With no more instruction, the black-haired male gripped her upper arm and her other shoulder to use for leverage. He shoved it back and into place, and it took all of Rukia's years of training and preparation not to scream her lungs out. She grit her teeth and felt tears prick against her eyes. He said nothing, and she elected to do the same. Pain ringing in her arm, she still noted it felt infinitely better in place. She thought about attacking him from the front, but she knew better. The front was dangerous territory, and so she assumed the position of a surprise attacker. Grabbing his wrists, she pulled them behind the male and crossed his arms behind his back.

"Go." Nnoitra stood by idly.

Ulquiorra merely pulled free from her grip with only a small bit of struggle. He was stronger, and her right shoulder was weakened. He turned around and threw a punch into her gut, causing her to double over and cough. The wind was knocked out of her, but he hadn't hit her hard enough to make her lose consciousness. Nnoitra said nothing and moved on, and Rukia felt like the deal was sealed. Her grade would definitely be below passing.

"Class is dismissed. Kuchiki, stay behind a minute," the substitute spoke as he finished with the last pair.

Grimmjow didn't vacillate in bagging up his stuff and heading out the door, not even sparing Rukia a glance. He did, however, wait outside the door. Leaning back casually against the wall, he crossed his arms and said nothing all the while staring into space.

Rukia strayed behind and approached the substitute's desk after the students vacated the room. She knew this was going to be bad. What if she was the only one to fail for the day?

"Looks like your arm is out of commission for the day," he stated dryly. Though if Rukia looked hard enough, she could discern a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. "In this class, it doesn't matter if you're too weak to be the attacker. But if you're the defender and you have to pull a stunt like that to get free... I can't say you'll be staying at Sparrow Cut for much longer." The threat was clear and rang in Rukia's ears.

"I understand, sir."

"Do you?" Nnoitra approached the younger girl and snatched both her wrists up. He held her left one in place but moved her right one upward, consequently causing her injured shoulder to throb in a blossoming and ebbing pain. She grimaced as he stretched it up further, and she quickly directed an educated kick to between his legs. He was a teacher, though, and as such wouldn't fall for a cheap shot like a student. He caught her kick with his knees and pivoted, causing her to stumble on her remaining leg. He let go of her wrists in time to let her fall to the ground. "You don't see many helpless girls in Sparrow Cut these days. It's really refreshing, yeah?" He loomed over her.

"Excuse me, I had a question." The sound of Ichigo's voice interrupted the scene, and Nnoitra glanced over to him with complete complacency. "If I defend against a smaller person who is quicker, should I use the Triple Tuck Method or go for the A9?"

Nnoitra blanched slightly. "_That_ is your question?"

"...You're right. That was dumb." Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "Hey Rukia, you ready? You're gonna be late for our BatStrat class."

Rukia got up and nodded, rubbing her right wrist. "Thank you, professor." She saluted and exited with Ichigo, being met with Grimmjow instantly outside the door. "Why are you here?" she sneered.

Grimmjow's eyebrow twitched. "Don't get snippy with me, bitch. If it wasn't for me, your ass would still be in there. Would you like that? Huh? Would ya?" Grimmjow shoved his hands into his black pants and walked alongside the trio. He wasn't going to explain the fact he waited outside the door to make sure everything went alright, and when he saw Ichigo in the hall, he directed him inside to go get Rukia. It had been taking way too long for her to come out, but he sure as hell wasn't going to go get her himself.

"That dude is a creep. Teachers can't initiate violence unless inside class or for punishment." Ichigo's eyebrows were slightly furrowed as he thought on this.

"You think they give two shits about rules, Kurosaki? They can do whatever the fuck they want. I can tell just by looking at that scrawny fuck that this won't e the end of his sadistic bullshit." Grimmjow scowled and turned down a hallway, breaking away from the trio. "Look forward to some training lessons, girly. Because you're gonna need 'em." And who better to train her than one of the top athletes in their level?

Rukia and Ichigo glanced at each other before chuckling lightly. The notion of Grimmjow giving a damn was hilarious, but it was hard to form laughter in these times. The sound felt foreign to them. It felt wrong, like it was sinful. And as they both reflected on this, their smiles disappeared and they continued to walk in silence, wondering if there would ever be a time where smiling didn't feel so dirty.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate your input and support. I know I tend to victimize Rukia a lot, as well as place Nnoitra in the position of the Sexual Tension Bad Guy. But I do plan for Rukia to show a legitimate transformation and be equal in terms of saving one another. It'll just take a bit of time. _—_PB


	3. Sensibility

**THE DARKER DAYS**

_chapter three _— **sensibility  
**

Ichigo and Rukia sat facing each other with the front ends of their desks pushed together. They poured over the textbook and scribbled away on sheets of paper. Battle Strategy was a class Rukia excelled in. Ichigo was pretty decent at it, too. Their friendship only propelled them forward into partnering with each other every class.

The activity was to design and write out a battle succession with a partner. One person writes down the first move, and the other counters. This goes back and forth. Sometimes, they even doodled pictures of battalions or individual soldiers to adequately portray their directional movement or formational change. The idea was to reach the other side of the invisible field. Whichever partner reached the other side, even if the opposing army was not completely annihilated, won. There was no real incentive for winning other than bragging rights. At the end of each class, the teacher reviewed the papers and graded students on proper tactic use and knowledge.

Students who showed signs of leadership promise were not favored in class, but secretly were under scrutiny by higher ups.

"You can't do that," Ichigo iterated for the second time.

"And why can't I?" Rukia replied, a haughty tone evident.

Ichigo stared evenly at her, clearly not amused. The scowl on his face was deeper than normal. "You're splitting up your squad and moving a rankless soldier around the back to sneak through. Any teacher will tell you that is not allowed, in or out of class."

"Where in the textbook does it say that? Show me, Ichigo."

They glared.

"What seems to be the problem?" The teacher approached the duo who stared daggers into each other's eyes. Their teacher was a man with wood-brown hair. Shunsui Kyoraku.

"She's using one single soldier, who doesn't have any rank, and moving him up and around to sneak in. But she split up the battalion into two to combat my team. The unranked soldier will die as soon as he reaches the other side, so even though _technically_, she won, in reality it would be killing her own subordinate." Ichigo was highly irritated at this.

Suddenly, Rukia went on the defensive. "This isn't sending him to his death! I sent him to the other side because your team will be too stupidly distracted by mine. I plan to file out my soldiers from the back and send them on the same route as the rankless soldier. He wouldn't be alone for but a second."

"That's a risk you're willing to take? Really? That second could kill him, and you don't even care, do you?" Ichigo gripped the edges of his desk angrily.

"Stop trying to paint me as heartless, you ignoramus! No one in your squad would even by on that side of the field!"

Shunsui cut them both short, not allowing for any more bickering. His voice was calm and deep. "It is a risk. And in reality, outside of this paper, the soldier would likely die." Ichigo leaned back at this, relieved the teacher was on his side. "But." His eyes turned to Ichigo. "In war, especially in today's world, these are called necessary sacrifices. That one soldier will die, but the more skilled individuals following through the hole on the side will be able to wipe out any counter-measures thereafter. One soldier's death has caused the entire army to live. And you know the death rate projection for any war, even on the winning team's side."

Rukia frowned. Even though the teacher agreed with her strategy, she didn't agree with the logic of necessary sacrifices. She understood its legitimacy, but that wasn't her aim. Her eyes leveled with Ichigo's, and they both realized their misinterpretations of this class. They both realized what they were being trained to do, and who exactly they were being trained by. For the latter question: the answer was monsters.

* * *

It was a little unnerving training with one of the top athletes in the school. Grimmjow was both powerful and fast. Where his wit and calmness failed him, his brute strength and adaptability prevailed.

There were many open training rooms throughout the high school, and they were encouraged to be used during students' free time. Really, the students didn't have many options for things to do outside of class. Eat, sleep, study, and train. Sometimes, old war movies would be shown in the auditorium. But that was a rarity, and often the film was cut short because students were talking.

Standing on the blue mat situated in the middle of the floor, Grimmjow and Rukia stared each other down. Rukia's black shirt was off, and she remained in a black sports bra. Her hair had grown to be long enough to pull back into a ponytail, and while she liked it being out of her face, she planned on getting it cut the next day. A shame, honestly, thought her two male friends. Never would they verbalize such a thing, however.

"We won't fight today. You ain't ready for that shit yet. Not even close." Grimmjow crossed his arms. "You're small and kind of fast. I don't think you can ever get to be strong muscle-wise, so we'll work on that "kind of" speed you have."

Rukia twisted her lips slightly into a frown. She didn't like the prospect of being permanently weak. It was true, though, and she knew this. She was too small in size. At most, she could become strong enough to overpower girls and skinny men. Still, she liked the idea of being fast. It was only of the physical qualities that landed her in here, aside from her mental superiority. Her weakness was overlooked, like was the case with most girls in Sparrow Cut. Those girls were still stronger than Rukia. Soifon was much stronger and much faster. Hell, she outran most men, if that was even possible.

"You know what suicides are?" Grimmjow posed. Rukia grimaced internally. "Twenty of 'em. Use the lines on the floors for your markers. Get in position and go." The blue-haired man moved to the side and leaned against the wall. He watched Rukia silently move to one end of the training room and bend down to touch the black painted line. She began running back and forth, her distance becoming longer each time. "You're moving too slow. C'mon, are you kiddin' me?" He looked genuinely displeased by her performance. She said nothing and merely went faster. "I'm gonna call you Snail from now on. Alright, Snail?"

Rukia seethed. Sweat began collecting on her brows and on the small of her back. She was growing tired already, but she didn't stop. Every time Grimmjow yelled at her, she somehow moved faster than before. She focused on controlling her breathing like Grimmjow instructed. By the eighteenth suicide, her pace slowed dramatically.

"I'm going to come over there and kick you in the goddamn face if you don't speed the fuck up, Snail." He was growing irritated at her weakness. "Move fuckin' faster!"

Rukia's body protested adamantly. Her muscles ached and her entire being felt ten times heavier than normal. It was a mission just to move her legs. As she reached her nineteenth suicide run, she felt a second wind coming. She pushed through the pain and sprinted back and forth, touching the line with her fingertip each time. As she ran toward her last marker on the twentieth suicide, she felt the breath in her throat begin to pierce her lungs. She collapsed on the floor and rolled onto her side as she finished, fully intending on taking a break.

"No lying down. Get a small sip of water and lets finish this warm-up." His eyes were cold and unforgiving. He walked toward her.

"_Warm up_?" she asked spitefully. Rolling onto her back, she stared up at him. He had to be joking with her. The look on his face said otherwise.

"We're far from done, Snail. If you want to be fast, running back and forth just isn't gonna cut it."

Rukia forced her arms to push herself up. She panted heavily and stood on two wobbly legs. She gulped from the fountain until Grimmjow jerked her back by the shoulder. She wasn't supposed to drink a lot after running, but she felt like it was helping her more than the exercise itself. As she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, she glanced back to her makeshift teacher. Her eyes then slid to the clock, amethyst ovals locking onto the sight of 8:03. It was a Saturday, and as such her first class wasn't until noon. That meant they had a good few hours left before she could leave and clean up. Rukia felt her body hum in numbness, and she began preparing herself for what was to come.

* * *

"You've finalized the list?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, let's hear it then."

"Leading the group will be Soifon. Her outstanding athleticism, superior thinking skills, and maturity is unheard of for a person her age. The second-in-command will be Rukia Kuchiki. While she lacks physical power, her battle mentality is reminiscent of famed Commanders and Generals. Infantry team will consist of Ulquiorra Schiffer, Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez, Renji Abarai, and Ichigo Kurosaki. Supervising instructor will be Nnoitra Jiruga."

"...I see. Two females leading the squad. You think that to be wise?"

"Sir, I believe Soifon displays leadership skills not even present in most officers today. With proper guidance, Kuchiki can be molded to become a magnificent commanding officer."

"Alright, I'll trust you on this. As for the infantry... I recognize the first two's name because of their top rank. Abarai...isn't he the delinquent?"

"Yes, sir. But he scored exceptionally high on all of his exams... Even the spatial and multiskill tests."

"And the last one?"

"Kurosaki, sir. He seems to be friends with Kuchiki and Jeagerjaquez, and he is above average in every subject. With training, he can easily become an officer."

"Alright. Send the notice immediately. They will depart to Maeryn for their mission in two days."

"Yes, sir. And if I may speak out of turn..."

"Go ahead."

"Is it really so wise to send out such an elite team of students? These teens show such promise and overwhelming potential... Losing even one of them may be detrimental to the building of the New Army."

Aizen Sousuke leaned forward in his chair and folded her hands under his chin, elbows resting on the desk. "Yes, I understand your concern. However, we are running out of time and this mission should do well to expedite their learning and training. If they don't make it, then we can say goodbye to our vision of the New Army."

* * *

**A/N:** Woo, I'm excited to write the next chapter! Rukia, Ichigo, Grimmjow, Soifon, Ulquiorra, Renji, and Nnoitra journey into the country inhabited by vampires, demons, and beasts alike. What do you guys want to happen? I'm considering splitting the group up via an attack or something of the likes. I do want to give my side characters some spotlight, particularly Soifon and Renji. Hope you don't mind!


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